FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 87, NO. 3, 1989 



In hatchery systems, holding abalone at high 

 stocking densities and providing satiation feed- 

 ing, optimization of flow and exchange rates, 

 pH, oxygenation, and other factors is essential 

 for best animal health and growth. Often all re- 

 quirements appear not to be met in tank rearing 

 systems, however. Growth rate and vitality are 

 generally greatly improved when abalone are 

 matured in the sea in appropriate containments 

 (see Alternatives for Grow-Out). 



Growth of the industry in Southern California 

 has been limited by land availability, water qual- 

 ity, and regulatory constraints. Central and 

 northern California offer a far greater extent 

 and variety of coastal sites, but temperature op- 

 timization, food availability, sahnity reduction, 

 and, at some locations, pollution add to opera- 

 tional limitations. Aside from certain locations 

 within Puget Sound, WA and contiguous areas of 

 Canada, most coastal regions in the Pacific 

 Northwest present similar problems. Failure of 

 some recent mariculture ventures has been due, 

 in part, to inattention to some of these considera- 

 tions. 



FUTURE PROSPECTS 



Successes in production and marketing by the 

 existing abalone mariculture concerns in Cah- 

 fornia are stimulating interest among new 

 groups. At least three additional groups are 

 planning shore-based abalone culture operations 

 in the state at this time: Pacific Mariculture, 

 Inc., Santa Cruz (P. Scrivani 1988^^); Abalone 

 Resources, Inc., Guadalupe; and Marine Bio- 

 culture, Inc., Carlsbad. Most will concentrate on 

 production of small adult red abalone. Marine 

 Bioculture will produce green, pink, and red aba- 

 lones. Total annual production from expanded 

 activities at the Abalone Farm, the Ab Lab, and 

 the newer organizations could reach 100 t by 

 1995 and 250 t by the year 2000. Harvests from 

 seafloor ranching of red abalone may increase 

 rapidly and match the onshore production by 

 that time. Thenceforth, yields from expanded 

 in-sea programs (both containment culture and 

 seafloor ranching) are expected to gain appreci- 

 ably as the pertinent technology and cost/benefit 

 factors are improved, and as seed stock becomes 

 more universally available from the land-based 

 hatcheries. 



''P. Scrivani, Pacific Mariculture, Inc., 100 Shaffer Rd., 

 Santa Cruz, CA 95060. PMI is distinct from PM, Pigeon 

 Point, CA. 



The potential for effective abalone mariculture 

 both onshore and in the sea off Baja California, 

 Mexico, is exceptional. To date maricultiu-e of 

 red, pink, green, and black abalones has been 

 largely experimental in that country, but it is 

 expected commercial operations will develop 

 there soon (Aguirre 1987). 



A forecast of significant growth in the abalone 

 production industry over the next decade applies 

 to the entire North American Pacific coast from 

 Baja California to Alaska. The frontier now lies 

 in the sea with a promising evolution of effective 

 approaches to both managed cultivation by sea- 

 floor ranching and concentrated production 

 within containing structures. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



Many colleagues and collaborators have con- 

 tributed to aspects of the studies summarized in 

 this report. I am especially grateful to the late 

 Dr. Reuben Lasker who, as a personal friend 

 and respected teacher, encouraged me to review 

 this subject, and who, together with others of 

 the Southwest Fisheries Center, National 

 Marine Fisheries Service, La Jolla, made avail- 

 able to me research space on an ad libitum basis 

 throughout the past 20 years. 



LITERATURE CITED 



Aguirre, A. 



1988. Abalone culture: a perspective from Mexico. In 

 R. Amidei (editor), West coast mollu.sc culture, p. 

 65-67. Proc. Workshop, Pacific Sea Grant College 

 program. 

 Akashige, S., T. Seki, H. Kan-no, and T. Nomura. 



1981. Effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid and certain 

 neurotransmitters on the settlement and metamor- 

 phosis of the larvae of Haliotis discus hannai Ino 

 (Gastropoda). Bull. Tohoku Reg. Fish. Res. Lab. 

 43:37-45. 

 Anonymous. 



1986. Special Paua Issue. Shellfisheries Newsletter 

 30 and 31, Catch Supplement, FRD, Ministry of Agri- 

 culture and Fisheries, Wellington, New Zealand. 

 Armbrister, T. 



1980. A tale of government vs. the snail. Readers 

 Digest, Oct., p. 217-222. 

 Bailey, J. H. 



1973. Test-tube abalone. Sea Front. 19:148-153. 

 Baloun, A., and D. E. Morse. 



1984. Ionic control of settlement and metamorphosis in 

 larval Haliotis rufescens (Gastropoda). Biol. Bull. 

 167:124-138. 

 Bjornson, J. A. 



1970. Abalone Farm expected to assist rather than 

 compete with divers. Natl. Fisherman, Aug., p. 

 17-B. 



700 



